Methods and apparatuses for manufacturing corrugated members are generally known and conventional. As disclosed for example in German patent No. 494,407 or Swiss patent No. 263,453, a top web, in particular comprising stiff paper or cardboard, is put into a corrugated configuration and then joined to a carrier or backing web. In that situation the top web may be shaped as desired, and in accordance with the shape of the material to be packaged. The top web and the backing web are joined together by an adhesive which is applied to the carrier web directly before the top web is applied thereto. Generally, corrugated members of that kind are produced by the top web being continuously deformed. Adhesive is then applied and the carrier web is then pressed against the top web, which is shaped continuously or discontinuously, and then wound under stress on to rollers, together with the top web, for the adhesive to dry.
The known methods suffer from various disadvantages, in particular that the corrugated shape of a corrugated member cannot be easily altered, and there is no possibility of a reasonable continuous manufacturing process. In particular, dividing the method into individual steps, namely deformation of the top web, then bringing the top web together with the carrier web, the separate application of adhesive, the drying step, and then cutting the web assembly to the desired length, make it difficult to effect rational manufacture.
The problem or object of the present invention is to avoid the disadvantages of the known art and in particular therefore to provide a method and an apparatus for manufacturing a corrugated member, wherein the steps of the method are simplified and minimized, the manufacturing process generally is shortened, while nonetheless corrugated members of any desired surface configuration can be produced.